H.R. 3120, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to reduce the volume of future electronic health record-related significant hardship requests

H.R. 3120 would eliminate a requirement that, over time, the Secretary of Health and Human Services must make the criteria more stringent for physicians and hospitals to achieve “meaningful use” of electronic technology for health records. Under current law, some providers (in Medicaid) may be eligible for bonus payments if they achieve meaningful use, and some providers (in Medicare) may be subject to penalties if they fail to achieve meaningful use.

In recent years, the Secretary has used a combination of requiring criteria to be more stringent over time and hardship exemptions in a manner that has not significantly affected the number of providers subject to bonus payments or penalties. Based on that history, CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 3120 would not have a significant effect on the federal budget.

Enacting H.R. 3120 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.

CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 3120 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.

H.R. 3120 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.